Charles Kennedy 101: Who is the Best Theorist of His Generation? in our article of Zatrun.com, we will cover in detail everything you need to know about economist Charles Kennedy.

Who is Charles Kennedy?

Charles Kennedy (1923 – November 4, 1997) was an economist who was recognised as one of the best theorists of his generation. The son of architect George Kennedy and grandson of painter Charles Napier Kennedy, he was born as the youngest of five sons in an extended family. As a gifted child, he received his education at Gordonstoun.

When he was 17, he entered Balliol College, Oxford, where he studied under his mentor Thomas Balogh. Within two years, he graduated from the departments of Philosophy, Politics and Economics with first-class honours and received a 2. During World War II, he immediately joined Lord Cherwell’s statistical research group.

After the war, he returned to academia and taught economics at Imperial College London for 1 year and at Balliol for 1 year. In 1948, he was elected a Member of the Economics Department at The Queen’s College, Oxford and became a University Lecturer in 1950. He went to the West Indies, where he spent a lot of time painting in 1955; six years later, good memories convinced him to leave Oxford and take a chair in Economics at the University of the West Indies, soon after he got married in 1961.

His Career Life

During his time in the West Indies, Charles Kennedy wrote prolifically and held positions as Vice-Chancellor and Director of the Bank of Jamaica. However, due to political circumstances, he decided to return to England. in 1966, he took up the Chair of Economic Theory at the University of Kent in Canterbury.

Although he officially retired 4 years later at the age of 48, he continued to teach as an Honorary Professor. He held a Doctorate in Economic Theory until 1984. For his services to the university, he was awarded an Honorary DLitt in 1984.

Kennedy was a little eccentric, he was afraid of libraries and entered them only if he was accompanied. Even then he was visibly uncomfortable. Although he was not a prolific writer, having published only about fifty articles, his writings were of a high standard. Sixty percent of his articles have been published in the Economic Journal, Oxford Economic Papers, and Review of Economic Studies.